Estrogen and Depo-provera?Dear Anai, I just recently went on the shot, Depo Provera, on April 15th. My doctor suggested I take more estrogen to prevent the bleeding I was experiencing, so I was told to take birth control pill. By the end, I had taken 20 pills. Would the estrogen cancel out the Depo?? Is there a possibility that I may conceive in this state? Thank you, Patriece Answer: Depo-Medroxyprogesterone Acetate (aka Depo-Provera) is a hormone given by injection every three months to prevent or abort a pregnancy. Depo is responsible for firstly preventing the ovary from releasing an egg. Its second function is to thicken the cervical mucus so sperm cannot travel up into the fallopian tubes to fertilise an egg. And finally, it assists in aborting the fertilised egg by ensuring that the uterine lining is thinned out. This causes the fertilised egg to be pushed out, without a chance of implanting into the lining as it would in a normal pregnancy. Depo does not contain estrogen, but instead it works much like the second half of your cycle where the progesterone takes over. Adding estrogen to Depo may weaken the strength, but not enough to cause pregnancy. Your doctor should be able to explain the reasoning behind her need to place you on estrogen therapy. If you are uncomfortable with taking estrogen and fear pregnancy, consider another form of birth control until you are ready to go it alone again. Thank you for writing Patriece!
02 June 2003 © Copyright 2003 Anai Rhoads
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